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This image, captured by the Rosetta spacecraft's CIVA camera on October 7, 2014, shows the spacecraft at a distance of only 16 kilometers from comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, while 472 million kilometers from Earth. The photograph combines two exposures to capture both the spacecraft's 14-meter solar array and the comet's double-lobed nucleus with streaming dust and gas, and was the last image taken by Philae's camera before the lander separated from Rosetta on November 12, 2014.
Why it matters
This historic selfie documents humanity's first successful attempt to orbit and land on a comet, providing crucial visual documentation of the Rosetta mission's approach phase and demonstrating the technical capability to navigate and photograph objects in deep space at close range.
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Rosetta’s Selfie
Explanation: This Rosetta spacecraft selfie was snapped on October 7th, 2014. At the time the comet-chasing spacecraft was about 472 million kilometers from planet Earth, but only 16 kilometers from the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Looming beyond the spacecraft near the top of the frame, dust and gas stream away from the comet’s curious double-lobed nucleus. Bright sunlight glints off one of Rosetta’s 14 meter long solar arrays. In fact, two exposures, one short and one long, were combined to record the dramatic high contrast scene using the CIVA camera system on Rosetta’s still-attached Philae lander. Its chosen primary landing site was on the visible hemisphere of the smaller lobe of the nucleus. This was the last image from Philae’s camera before the lander separated from Rosetta on November 12. Shortly after separation Philae took another image looking back toward the orbiter and began its descent to the nucleus of the comet.
Tomorrow’s picture: dark matters
| Date | October 24, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Credit: | ESA/Rosetta/Philae/CIVA |
| Authors & editors: | Jerry Bonnell, Cecilia Chirenti, Robert Nemiroff, Keighley Rockcliffe |
| A service of: |
ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U. |